Child's Play - Child Play Therapy

By Veronica Scott

Living with emotional stress and anxieties is not uncommon for adults.

But what if the person suffering from some sort of fear or apprehension is a child? Too often, children are experiencing a negative reaction to events taking place in their environment. Parents become separated or divorced, a child may experience some sort of traumatic abuse or perhaps a child lives in a place that exhibits excessive amounts of violence.

It is hard to deny the fact the world is changing on a daily basis, and our children have to cope with issues their parents and grandparents didn't even consider. Immediate satisfaction from television newscasts and newspapers constantly bombard children with negative images of death and destruction, and violence in television programs, movies or video games have created a cacophony of aggressive behavior in adolescents.

Whatever happened to the days when children played with the innocence of their youth?

Child therapists are infiltrating a kind of therapy that can help children recapture a sense of tranquility by exposing them to play therapy. Child play therapy exercises not only help children develop a sense of creativity and imagination, but they also help children communicate various fears and anxieties they have about the world around them.

Child therapy sessions use various games and toys so children will be able to express how they feel about events taking place in their lives at the time. Much like talk therapy for adults, play therapy allows a child to act out certain scenarios by using clinically proven tools to encourage expression. The end result demonstrates to therapists where they need to focus on to help a patient cope with their feelings.


Children can address parental conflicts associated with separation and divorces, or they can act out how they are treated at school by their peers. Child therapy is beneficial for children who have been traumatized by some sort of physical or sexual abuse. And child play therapy is helpful for kids who have issues with self-esteem or who have experienced some type of loss in their lifetime.

Play therapy sessions use a variety of tools and can last anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour for each session. Some of the more common methods used are storytelling, clay building, art and drawing. Other practices, such as music, doll houses, and puppets have also been used to help children express themselves.

Not every child will need to use play therapy during their adolescent years. But if you are concerned about your child's emotional stability, there are certain warning signs to look for:

• Anger or fear
• Aggressive behavior
• Low self-esteem
• Behavioral problems among other children
• Change in sleeping and eating patterns
• Separation anxiety
• Interest in sexual behaviors
• Difficulty adjusting to family changes

If you notice your child exhibiting any of these abnormal behaviors, it is important to take the next step and look into some type of therapy or help. Even if play therapy is not the answer your child needs, some other type of help could be beneficial.

Learn more about the fascinating world of miniatures. Visit TheMagicalDollhouse.com today for a great selection of dollhouses and dollhouse accessories from top miniature companies.

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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Are Your Children Safe With Their Toys?

By Barry Chickini

You glance over at your young child and see her happily on the floor playing with her toys. Knowing she is safe, you go ahead and start preparing dinner. Between rinsing the vegetables and putting water on to boil, a tragedy could occur. Your child could be seriously or even fatally injured by her favorite toys.

This is something no parent should ever have to face, but it happens every day. Is your child safe with their toys?

In today’s toy and child care marketplace, product recalls happen all the time. Even with reputable companies and after what would appear to be exhaustive development and testing.

Unfortunately, sometimes a recall happens only after a child or multiple children have been hurt. Recently, the Thomas the Tank Engine toys were recalled. The recall included various Thomas and Friends toys because the paint finish on the trains contained lead. There were about 1.5 MILLION of these toys sold nationwide from January 2005 through 2007. The same reason prompted a recall of the Soldier Bear Action figures sold between August 2006 through 2007.

Central to the recall of the ‘Thomas’ Products and Fisher-Price was the danger of ‘Lead Poisoning’ which occurs predominantly in children who are well known to sample things by putting them in their mouths. Lead poisoning can damage internal organs including the kidneys, nervous system and brain. This is particularly dangerous because in children from age infant to seven years, their little bodies are still developing, and lead poisoning can leave PERMANENT IMPAIRMENT. Your child can suffer from a lower I.Q. and physical disabilities. All of this from her favorite toy that you thought was safe. With the knowledge of this today among manufacturers, this scenario should never have to happen.

Unfortunately, there is more. Children could become blinded, scarred, or disfigured if any of their toys have a rigid edge or surface. If your child picks up a toy like this and goes running around like children do all the time, this could be disastrous. Toys that contain loose attachments or cars that have wheels that move automatically could also be tragic. Your child's hair could become entangled in the moving parts, causing laceration, scalp injuries or even strangulation. Choking can occur with toys that have small parts or pieces, balls or removable parts.

So what do you do? Buy toys and really hope that nothing terrible happens? What if you're a child care provider or you're purchasing toys for a waiting room at a doctor's office? You absolutely cannot afford to take the chance of someone else's child being injured by one of the toys that you've provided for them to play with. It sure seems like most of the toys you buy could be dangerous. But not all of them are.


Primary Risks from Toys

• Strangulation
• Choking
• Electric Shock or Burn
• Lead Poisoning
• Cuts and Scrapes

Some ideas for child toy safety at home

• Buy only toys from reputable manufacturers
• Use ‘Common Sense’ in toy selection
• Buy toys appropriate for the child’s age
• Inspect toys carefully for potential dangers
• Expect the ‘Unexpected’: Look at toys with critical viewpoint
• Do not leave small children unattended for any length of time
• Packaging material is NOT a toy! Remove it from a child’s presence!
• Use Safety Gear where available for the type of toy. (helmets, pads,etc)
• Checkout toy reviews and recall notices. The internet makes this easy to do.

Nothing can take the place of 'common sense' here. You have to get 'outside yourself' as a adult and see the toy from the child's point of view. In other words, you can NEVER assume what a child will or won't do with a toy.

Let's be careful out there!

Barry Chickini is author and webmaster for http://www.ChildTherapyResources.com and writes and edits numerous articles on Child Therapy and Safety.

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Understanding Play Therapy

By Sheri Fay

This past week there was another one of those awful stories in the news, the ones that make your eyes well with tears. This time it was a young boy who witnessed his mother's death. All he could say when questioned was Mommy's crying, Mommy's in the rug, his verbal abilities and understanding of the world still quite limited. I don't know all of the details of the case, what if anything he truly did see, but it is pretty clear that this young person has certainly had a traumatic experience.

Our culture, like so many others, values children a great deal. As adults we know very well the danger out there, we watch the 6 o’clock news and read the headlines. We go through our day attempting to meet the demands of the world, mostly stressed, maybe anxious, probably tired. Children have yet to enter this grown-up world, they want to play, have snacks, and watch Dora the Explorer. Us adults usually do every thing we can to shield them from it because we know the innocence of childhood will not last forever. So it comes as no surprise that much of the water cooler conversations these past few days have been about this little boy. I have heard things like “he needs some therapy”, “if he doesn’t address this it’s going to come back to haunt him years later” or “how will he ever get over this?”

As a child therapist who has worked with many children who have experienced trauma, I could confidently say that, thanks to play therapy, this too is manageable. Just like adults talk things out after going through something terrifying and traumatizing, children play through their feelings and reactions. This natural inclination of children to play out the things that are happening around them is their way of trying to make sense of their world. To them they are merely playing and because of this it feels safe and comfortable. Actually, over-talking about traumatizing events can cause more anxiety, putting children on the spot and making the event even bigger and scarier. It is through playing that children have a real chance to make sense of what is going on, and most importantly, resolve unconscious conflicts. Playing gives them a sense of detachment from which to explore and deal with their feelings.


During play therapy children use one of their best gifts, their imagination. A play therapists office is full of a variety of toys that children can choose at their will. The very choice of toys begins the play therapy experience. Children can act out different scenarios, try on several different solutions or outcomes, practice ways to resolve conflicts and cope with distressing material. They can put scary, hidden feelings and fears onto objects outside of themselves and watch and learn how these toys “handle them”. Whatever is on the child’s mind usually comes out naturally in their play. It is typical in the beginning of play therapy that the child’s toys are scared, unsure, usually defeated by some type of monster. But as the sessions progress, these same toys end up winning battles, overcoming adversity, and have a confidence they did not have previously.

Part of a play therapist’s training involves tracking play, watching for themes, and voicing toys in order to elicit a response from another toy. These techniques allow us to learn more about the meaning behind the play. If in a child’s play a giant dinosaur is walking through a Lego town and a doll is hiding behind a tree, a play therapist may ask, “What is the doll feeling?” The child, without even realizing it, is giving you clues to what he or she is experiencing. In addition, the therapist can ask, “what can the doll do to be less afraid?” stimulating the child to think of other ways to respond to their fears. The therapist can also play with the child while still allowing them to drive the process. For example, if the therapist is the dinosaur she may whisper to the child, “what is this dinosaur saying to everyone?” allowing the child to guide both the fearful doll and the scary monster. Through the course of the play therapy experience, the child may build and rebuild this Lego city. The difference being that each time the characters will act a little differently. The doll may slowly come out from behind the tree, speak to the dinosaur and ask him to go away, or realize that he is not so scary after all. The dinosaur may choose another path or make friends with the doll. This resolution and learning is then integrated into the child’s knowledge base.

The young boy in the news story mentioned above will obviously always remember this horrible tragedy and miss his mother terribly, but by engaging in play therapy he can process what has happened and learn the necessary coping skills to have a well-adjusted life.

If you feel your child may be suffering from a traumatic experience or causing you any concern you may want to consider a play therapist. Children can enter play therapy for a variety of reasons including depression, anxiety, behavior problems, school and peer concerns, social anxiety, and defiance among many others. If you are unsure if your child may have a mental health concern or you need help determining if therapy would be beneficial you can ask me a question on my website. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Philadelphia, Pa in private practice and have been working with children, families and individuals for over 10 years.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in Philadelphia, Pa. I also have a website, http://www.askachildtherapist.com where you can ask a child therapist a question or schedule an online therapy session. I offer assistance with parenting advice, behavioral and emotional disorders in children and teenagers, and behavior management. I can also assist with determining if your child needs to seek counseling or if their behavior is developmentally appropriate. Please visit my website for more information

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Saturday, June 27, 2009

The ADHD Child Can Play - Toys for Children with ADHD

By Sid Berger and Gwynn Torres

Childhood should be playful. Play is said to be the work of children. But, sometimes, the ability to play becomes strained when children have conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD).

Part of living with a child with ADHD is to understand the special needs of these children in order to maintain a happy and healthy balance. This includes the necessity of selecting the right playthings so playtime activities do not become more stressful by conflicting with what these children can comfortably manage and enjoy. One way we've heard ADHD described is that it's a performance disorder and not a deficiency of knowledge or skill. It is primarily manifested as a set of symptoms that interfere with the ability to focus on a task and get it completed.

Child psychologists and psychiatrists value the importance of play in therapy for children with ADHD. The right types of play allow children to express themselves in ways they can't do otherwise. Play within the right context and with the right supervision can also improve a child's focusing abilities and help him or her to learn the basics of getting along more cooperatively with other children. Medical attention for proper diagnosis and consideration of medication are certainly the core of treatment of ADHD. But in many situations, proper managing of a child's environment and activities can do a lot to keep the symptomatic behavior under control.

A toy doesn't have to be full of moving or electronic parts to stimulate a child's imagination. Children with ADHD often have difficulty with multi-step instructions and have an inability to stay focused on the task at hand. They frequently become frustrated with themselves in these situations. Toys can be very simple and still do a better job of keeping a child focused and entertained as well as giving them an outlet to express their feelings. Two such toy categories are pretend play and art supplies.

The flexibility of these traditional play activities can be as simple or involved as the opportunity permits. So, because these types of play are events of totally variable lengths, a child can complete the activity and feel a sense of accomplishment and build confidence.

Another advantage of pretend play and artistic activities for children with ADHD is that these categories of play allow parents and caregivers to provide positive feedback and reinforcement that is invaluable in keeping the child focused...and invaluable for the child's self esteem.

Pretend Play - Children of almost every age enjoy pretend play and benefit from the exploration of feelings that it affords. Dolls and action figures, puppets, costumes and even blocks are all toy categories that allow a child to fantasize and act out situations. Under the right supervision, children with ADHD can learn the value of considering the consequences of their actions. As they decide what happens next in their fantasy, they can get a better understanding of how others react to certain actions. In situations where you can encourage them to finish their story line, you
also can help them get used to following through on a task.


Drama - Dramatic activities such as skits, recitations, puppet shows and simple storytelling can let a child concentrate on being a different character for a short time. Put a costume on them and watch how quickly they start getting into character. However, it may take direction from you to keep them focused and enjoying the event.

Costumes need not be elaborate to let a child be another character. It need only be representational. A single feather in a headband, a necktie, a hat, sunglasses, scrubs or even just a sign or patch fastened to clothing is enough to let a child jump into another role. Let the child use his or her imagination to help find costume pieces as part of the dramatic play process. And don't restrict them to the costume box. Colanders make great space helmets.

When Sid's children were growing up, they had a "costume closet" with an assortment of coats, brightly colored shirts, hats and accessories such as scarves, belts, wigs and, of course, masks. If an article of clothing became outdated, before disposing of it, they'd consider its costume potential. Putting together a costume for Halloween was always a big event. On top of that, living in New Orleans offered them Mardi Gras as a second costuming event each year.

Playhouses and play tents - Giving a child a space of his or her own is a great way to encourage imaginative pretend play. Whether it's stretching a sheet over dining room chairs to make a house or a purchased indoor or outdoor playhouse or play tent with a theme, a child is free to role-play and make up scenarios that could happen in the space.

At The Creativity Institute, we carry several types of playhouses, play tents and tunnels in themes that include a teepee, theater tent, castle and military camouflage. We also carry puppet theaters that can double as play stores and other types of play spaces. Our big foam blocks are large enough to construct make- believe buildings and tunnels a child can climb over and under. We also have play panels that can be moved around to create an ever-changing mix of play environments. This type of pretend play is also conducive to playing with others, offering an opportunity for a child to develop those all-important socialization skills.

Puppet shows - Puppets allow a child to act out many different roles and have fun with character voices. There are many sources for skits that can be adapted to the puppet stage and even ready-to-perform scripts in your library and on the Web. At The Creativity Institute, we have a section devoted to puppetry with puppets and puppet theaters. You'll find links to script resources on the Internet, puppeteer tips and even a free sample scripts we adapted for the puppet stage. To make it easier to get started, we've bundled together puppets and puppet theater packages and even grouped puppet casts with accompanying scripts, ready to perform. There's an Aesop's Fables Puppet Starter Set with five puppets and four fables adapted to the puppet stage. There's also an Old MacDonald Puppet Starter Set with Farmer MacDonald and seven barnyard animal puppets and an accompanying script of the song. Again, your direction will be invaluable in providing enough structure for the event that will let the children have a greater sense of accomplishment and stay interested longer.

And because puppets offer a degree of separation from real issues, they can offer lots of opportunities for learning about inappropriate behaviors. For example, if a child with ADHD has been overly aggressive with other children, acting out the consequences with animal puppets can offer a more painless and effective lesson.

Record it - Getting the performances down on tape gives everyone more opportunities to laugh and enjoy it all over again. There's a difference between taping the children playing at creating the performance and "making a movie" of the show, and both are wonderful to watch again and again. Taping the children at play shows their performance, as well as the behind-the-scenes preparation. Making a movie is just a matter of trying to capture what the audience would see. All you have to do is prepare the children for the scene and start and stop the camera at the right
times - and move on. You can even start with a title card the children can make for the show - using their own artistic skills.

If the child acts out while taping is underway, continue shooting, but keep your reprimands to a minimum. Put your energy into trying to refocus the child's attention toward continuing the performance or easing into a hastier conclusion. Later, when viewing the tape, the child may be able to see problem behaviors more clearly, rather than focusing more on your anger.

Dollhouses and activity sets - Playing with dolls and action figures is another valuable opportunity for pretend play. Dollhouses, toy pirate ships, castles, firehouses, farms and other traditional activity sets have the magic to let children get lost in their imaginations. Even the more popular activity sets based on movies and TV shows allow the same opportunities. And don't forget what imaginations can do with boxes, blocks and anything that can become the setting for a creative play session.

Blocks - Toys for children with ADHD should be simple and encourage the use of their imaginations, and one of the most basic of toys is building blocks. Block play can be great for many ages. From simple stack-up and knock-over fun to imaginative building. Blocks teach problem-solving skills, because a child discovers how stacking and matching can produce different results. They can also become components of pretend play, because a child can fantasize what the structures are. There are also big foam blocks that are almost "life size" and let children create their own fantasy playhouses. These lightweight blocks are so versatile, they can be climbed on or tunneled under. Magnetic block and construction sets have pieces that connect in more ways than can conventional plastic snap-together blocks and allow even more imaginative opportunities. We also carry a selection of traditional and colorful wooden blocks that are full of fantasy building opportunities.

Blocks, like many traditional toys, have other educational advantages for a child with ADHD. The number of positive outcomes is limitless, so children can continue playing until they've reached a level of personal satisfaction. Whether the child is building with traditional blocks or shoeboxes, try to show interest in every structure. Encourage the child to name creations, even if it's simply Wobbly Land or Crazy Tower. Showing interest without criticism offers your child valuable, long-
lasting affirmation.

Art Activities - Any medium such as crayons, markers, chalk, paint and clay can give a child a wealth of expressive opportunities. Sometimes you may want to suggest a subject idea to get them started. Art supplies are some of the least expensive educational toys you can provide. Gwynn used to bring home old stationery and unused printed samples to give her children a virtually unlimited supply of art paper. She'd also purchase low-end copy paper, offering the kids free rein on a giant stack of blank paper.

And here's something you can try on a big scale. Sid used to get leftover paper billboards from the local outdoor company and tack them on his backyard fence, backside out, to give the children blank giant-size panels for murals. The change in scale of their artist's canvas gets them thinking of possibilities in a different perspective and keeps them intrigued for hours. Another way to give structure to art activities is with their own easel. We carry a selection of folding, double-sided and adjustable easels that provide a convenient supply of paper and drawing surfaces in a self-contained, accessible environment.

One rule of thumb to follow to help inspire your kids to express themselves is to encourage all efforts. Today's crooked stick figure could lead to tomorrow's Picasso. Most important, artistic expression is highly therapeutic to your child, even if it doesn't happen to please your eye.

Books - There are many books that can hold a child's attention. The public library is a great start and your librarian can help you. Garage sales and community book fairs are a great way to build a library of your own. Collections of rhymes, poems or short stories are a good way to start with a child who is easily distracted.

The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio listed the top toys for children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and included, among other things, a magnetic construction set, a tree-house-theme dollhouse play set, a decorate-it-yourself birdfeeder, board games and a simple, basic rubber ball. Oppenheim also suggested the toy general categories of dramatic play and artistic activities.

*The National Institute of Mental Health recommends that if ADHD is suspected, the diagnosis should be made by a professional with training in ADHD. This includes child psychiatrists, psychologists, developmental/behavioral pediatricians, behavioral neurologists and clinical social workers. After ruling out other possible reasons for the child's behavior, the specialist checks the child's school and medical records and talks to teachers and parents who have filled out a behavior rating scale for the child. A diagnosis is made only after all this information has been considered.

After a combined six decades of developing award-winning advertising, creative directors Gwynn Torres and Sid Berger decided to spread creativity beyond the world of marketing. They founded an online educational toy store specializing in toys that nurture creativity in children. They handpick each toy for its potential for developing vital creative resources in your child. The benefits of nurturing creativity can be profound, offering children tools for success in all endeavors athletic, artistic or academic. Gwynn and Sid are also accomplished musicians and songwriters, and between them they have managed to produce five wonderfully zany and significantly creative children.

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